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John Spong

Photograph by James H. Evans

“The best way to save these buildings is to use them,” says senior editor John Spong about the classic Texas dance halls that he visited for “ Step Right Up ”. Of the thousands of landmarks across the state, Spong selected eight of his favorites, most of which are in Central Texas and exhibit a strong German-Czech influence. And if his picks put you in the mood to scoot across the floor, you can join Spong for a party at Sengelmann Hall, in Schulenburg, on December 12 to celebrate the story.

Steven Tabbutt

It is the perfect image for a story with the perfect title: “ Perversion of Justice ”, about a powerful judge who repeatedly victimized women in his office. “The idea of Judge Kent groping Lady Justice functions as a dual symbol for his abuse of his co-workers and the legal system,” says Steven Tabbutt. Though the New York—based artist was unaware of the story as it unfolded in Galveston, he knew that the right approach—both sinister and dramatic—would affect readers. “I felt a responsibility to his victims to show how nearly untouchable this giant, monstrous authority figure really was.”

Von

When the magazine’s editors decided to write about Texans who died during the past year, the art department turned to celebrated London artist Von to provide images of the most famous ones (“ People We’ll Miss ”). Using a deft combination of traditional drawing and digital techniques, Von created portraits of celebrities such as Farrah Fawcett and Walter Cronkite that are dynamic yet somehow evanescent—an appropriate combination for a tribute to people we will truly miss.